Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development Julian Castro has recorded a video calling on Houston
voters to keep the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).

HERO prohibits discrimination in
housing, employment and public accommodations based on several
characteristics including race, religion, sexual orientation and
gender identity.

The 41-year-old former mayor of San
Antonio, Texas endorsed passage of HERO in a one-minute video
recorded for Houston Unites, the campaign working to keep the
ordinance.

In making his endorsement, Castro keeps
quiet on HERO's most controversial aspect, the inclusion of sexual
orientation and gender identity.

“Sadly, too many Texans still face
discrimination,” Castro
said. “In Houston, 56 percent of discrimination reports filed
in the last year were based on race and 14 percent were based on
gender or pregnancy.”